If you ask me, fresh, tree-ripened peaches are the true mascot of summer. I'll always love my strawberries, blueberries and cherries, but there’s just something about the versatility of a peach that makes it stand out. Their flesh can be boiled down to a pulp or can withstand the heat of a 500 degree oven. They’re great on pizza, grilled with honey, chopped with mozzarella, baked with chicken or diced atop granola. They are the incredible egg of the fruit world! And not to mention, they are quite striking with their ombre-like skin swirling with deep red, soft yellow and bright orange.
Much like avocados, I keep a healthy stock of peaches at varying levels of ripeness at all times. You’ll find some in a paper bag, some along the windowsill ready to eat and maybe a few in the fridge that are starting to soften. It certainly helps that I live in Nashville near a plethora of peach stands operated by the greatest company of all time, The Peach Truck. These lovely folks drive their farm fresh peaches up from Georgia daily and sell them in brown paper sacks off the side of the road. I can’t quite figure out how they do it exactly, but every single peach is perfect. They’re never mealy or bruised and are always loaded with the perfect balance of sweet, tart flavor. In the dead of winter, I often just scroll through their Instagram feed and salivate. And you should too!
With my latest batch of peaches, I wanted to make a classic peach pie. Because my Dad loves peaches just as much as I do and it’s no mistake that Father’s Day and peach season overlap. I spiced it up with a splash of bourbon and dressed it in its Sunday best - a braided lattice crust. The filling isn’t too sweet, allowing the peaches to shine on their own with a little help from lemon, cinnamon and nutmeg. You could always add more sugar, or less, depending on your preference. Regardless, it will bubble up nicely around the golden, flaky crust and will make your whole house smell like sweet heaven. I used a milk wash this time, to give it a nice glow, and sprinkled with a bit of raw sugar before baking.
I hope you’ll join me in soaking up the season with this Bourbon Peach Pie, and as always, thanks for stopping by!
xxMackenzie
Peach Bourbon Pie
INGREDIENTS
for the filling:
- 6-8 peaches, thinly sliced
- 2 Tbsp. bourbon
- 1 tsp. lemon juice
- 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
- pinch nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 2 tsp. lemon zest
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 3 Tbsp. corn starch
- Optional: milk or cream, for the wash
for the dough:
*This is my go-to pie dough recipe by Ina Garten. I find it foolproof and delicious! Feel free to insert your favorite recipe here or use refrigerated pie crust if you’d rather.
- 12 Tbsp. (1 1/2 sticks) very cold unsalted butter
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp. kosher salt
- 1 Tbsp. sugar
- 1/3 cup very cold vegetable shortening
- 8 Tbsp. ice water
INSTRUCTIONS
Make the dough:
1.) Dice the butter and return to the refrigerator. Then, place the flour, salt and sugar into the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse a few times to mix.
2.) Add the butter and shortening and pulse 8 to 12 times, or until the butter is the size of peas. With the machine running, pour the ice water down the feed tube (cubes removed) and then pulse the machine until the dough begins to form a ball.
3.) Place the dough on a floured surface and roll into a ball. Cut the ball of dough in half and wrap each half in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or overnight.
Prepare the filling:
1.) While the dough chills, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Peel and thinly slice the peaches and place into a medium bowl. Toss with the lemon juice and bourbon and set aside.
2.) In another bowl, combine the remaining dry ingredients (cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, zest, sugars and corn starch) and mix well. Then, add the dry ingredients to the peaches and stir to combine.
Assemble:
1.) Next, on a lightly floured, cold surface, roll out one half of the dough into a 12” circle, about 1/8” thick, and fit into the bottom of a 9” pie plate. Pour the peach filling into the prepared bottom crust and place in the refrigerator while you prepare the lattice strips.
2.) For the lattice, roll the remaining pie dough into a large rectangle that’s about 10” in length and 1/4” thick. Using a ruler, cut the dough into 4, 1.5” wide strips using a sharp knife or pastry wheel and set aside on a baking sheet. Then, cut 4, 1/2” strips and set aside. Lastly, cut 12 more 1/2” wide strips for the braids. Working with three strips at a time, press the tops together using your thumb or a weighted surface and braid the strips. Repeat until you have four braided pieces and set aside on the sheet. (Note: You may have to combine and re-roll out the scraps of dough one or two times to cut all the strips)
3.) To assemble, arrange the strips of dough atop the filling, forming a lattice. Trim the strips, and press into the dough. Then, trim the edge of the crust and press into the edge of the pie pan.
4.) Lastly, using a pastry brush, lightly brush the lattice with the milk or cream and sprinkle with sugar.
5.) Place the pie in the lower third of the oven and bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Then, reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees and continue baking for an additional 30-35 minutes or until the crust is golden and the filling is bubbling.
6.) Let cool completely to allow the filling to fully congeal, then serve and enjoy!
